
A native North Carolinian, Susan Wells Vaughan was born in
Salisbury and moved to the Outer Banks in 1990. She began
painting with tempera and newsprint
when she was ten and has been
involved in art professionally for
over twenty years. She studied art at
several colleges and universities in
North Carolina including UNC-G
where she received a BA in English.
After graduation, she continued her
studies as a Commercial Art student
at Guilford Technical Community
College. Her acrylic painting style is
mostly self-taught, inspired by
Grandma Moses and Grant Wood. Susan is known
locally for her folk-art style town portraits and her whimsical
depictions of Outer Banks scenes. Her colorful crab paintings
have brightened the covers of "The Restaurant Guide to the Outer
Banks" for three years. Susan's work has won numerous
awards in local competitions, including two People's Choice
awards, two Merit awards, and one Excellence award in the
Frank Stick Memorial Art Show and runner-up twice in
the local "Beach Book" cover competition. Outer Banks Magazine
included her among its 1997-98 featured artists.